In a divided Cheliax, the devil worshipping royal house Thrune sends one of their members to the free spirited city of Kintargo to ensure their loyalty to the Queen. But four individuals are ready to fight back...
The witch watches the seance with unabashed interest, the suture vine curling around his throat like a thick choker. It, too, appears to watch the spirits, though it has no eyes. As the chosen spirit dives into Joachim's body, Shiba startles with a reflexive motion, his hand outstretched as if to intercede. He relaxes after a moment and remains quiet until the party is congregated in the basement.
"Hm... do we want to do this quietly, or most thoroughly?" Shiba considers the dimly lit room. "There are all sorts of things that hide in the shadows. Some belong. Some do not." A torch-bright light blooms between his cupped hands and throws his features into stark relief. The shadows on the wall deepen in some places and are banished in others. With the added light source, he takes a closer look around the 'public' part of the basement, looking for anything that may be out of place that Laria may have missed.
Male Chaotic Good Half-Orc Skald 1 | HP: 9/9 | AC: 15 (11 Tch, 14 Fl) | CMB: +2, CMD: 13 | F: +3, R: +1, W: +2; +1 vs Mind Affecting effects | Init: +1 | Perc: +4 | Speed 20ft | Spells 1st 0/2 | Active conditions: None.
Zacarias tries not to stare at Joachim's ritual but glances every now and then while making sure he's packed everything he needs. He realises there are still some pamphlets in his bag and asks Laria if she can hide them somewhere.
Upon entry Zacarias cuts to the chase and gently opens the door to the Nest. He doesn't say anything yet but briefly knocks on the door as he looks around without stepping through the doorway just yet.
Neither of the two spot anything of note. As Zacarias peers through the secret wall, he initially sees only another wall, before seeing that the path continues down to the left of the door, southward. The Nest seems to be dimly lit, and you can see all the way to the other side of the hallway. At the south end, it opens up into a larger chamber, but the ceiling seems to lower there, so you can't quite see what's inside.
Shiba carries the light with him until he sees the opened door. He then douses the light and lets his eyes adjust to the dimness of the cellar.
"A light down here will broadcast our position just as much as it will illuminate the surroundings. Do we think there may be things down here like in the cistern? I can see fairly well in dim light, but I'm not sure about the rest of you," he comments.
Male Chaotic Good Half-Orc Skald 1 | HP: 9/9 | AC: 15 (11 Tch, 14 Fl) | CMB: +2, CMD: 13 | F: +3, R: +1, W: +2; +1 vs Mind Affecting effects | Init: +1 | Perc: +4 | Speed 20ft | Spells 1st 0/2 | Active conditions: None.
Zac steps through the door and looks around once inside, while trying not to be seen himself
Perception:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Stealth:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5
With the first step he takes Zacarias accidentally kicks a broomstick. "Ah s+*%" He says under his breath, hoping the clattering won't attract unwanted attention.
After the broom falls, and while Shiba moves to join, the silence beyond the hallway remains just that: silence. The duo slowly traverses the hallway until it eventually widens into a chamber.
The hallway opens to the southeast into a large reservoir of calm, dark water. A wooden pier extends twenty feet into the water, while another twenty feet out rises the top half of a statue of a beautiful elven woman. A foul smell, like that of rotting meat, comes from somewhere near the pier. Two holes have been knocked into the northwest walls to provide access to chambers beyond.
Knowledge Religion DC 10:
The statue is of Calistria, the Elven goddess of revenge and lust, typically associated with wasps.
Perception DC 10:
It's a little hard to see, but if you follow your nose, at the northwesternmost edge of the pier, just under the lip of the stone floor, you spot a dead body, partially eaten.
Kal catches up to the two as quietly as she can, one hand pinching her raven's beak whilst the other grips her bow, cautiously.
Religion:1d20 ⇒ 7
Perception:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11
Upon seeing Shiba's caution, she stops by his side, peering out into the darkness, moving a hand from her bird to the quiver of arrows on her back, ready for danger.
As though sensing your wariness, something suddenly emerges from the water, slowly. It's an albino alligator, its teeth dyed crimson with dried blood...
And it would appear it sees you as its next meal, as it aggressively starts approaching the party!
Please note that you are currently fighting in Dim Light, and this means that a 20% miss chance in the darkness applies. This means that anyone without darkvision or low light vision needs to roll one extra die with each attack. This is the Concealment Check, it's just a d100, if you roll 20 or lower, you miss, regardless of what your attack roll was.
Male Chaotic Good Half-Orc Skald 1 | HP: 9/9 | AC: 15 (11 Tch, 14 Fl) | CMB: +2, CMD: 13 | F: +3, R: +1, W: +2; +1 vs Mind Affecting effects | Init: +1 | Perc: +4 | Speed 20ft | Spells 1st 0/2 | Active conditions: None.
"At least it's not more devils"
Zacarias rushes in to close the distance between him and his adversary. He leaps towards the alligator and brings down his hammer with a wide overhead swing.
Joachim sighs deeply. "Come on fellows, there must be a better way."
As he starts reaching for the rope he is carrying with him, he directs himself towards Kal.
"I have an idea, but you might not like it..".
Kal:
Joachim starts to explain his plan to Kal. "As you might be aware, this alligator could easily mutilate us if it were to bite. But, we don't have to give it that chance. It barely has any power to open it's maw with and if we could bait it into snapping at something, i could tie it shut with this rope. Then we won't be forced to kill something that is only following it's instinct.
We are quite slow compared to it, but your bird is fast and nimble. s it possible for you to instruct your bird to bait the alligator into closing its mouth?
After proposing his idea to Kal, Joachim slowly moves towards the alligator and waits for his chance to pounce.
Joachim is readying an action to tie the alligators maw shut with his rope.
Kal nods, and points at the beast sharply, her bird hopping off her shoulder as she does. "You heard the tiefling; now go fly into that alligator's mouth!" The raven soars at the reptile, screaming as he goes.
"Bastaaaaaaaaard!!!" He screeches, distractingly, as he swoops at swerves at the last minute, flying circles around his foe.
The alligator takes the hits from the two warriors, but doesn't seem to mind the damage its body is taking.
Then, Joachim approaches slowly with the rope, followed by the raven. When the alligator snaps in response to the bird's hassling, Joachim deftly closes the rope and ties it down, successfully making the beast harmless. Immediately, its attitude changes drastically, becoming close to docile.
Combat over! The beasty won't be bothering you anymore
"Well, that's definitely a way to calm it down. Strange that there would be a beast like this down here..." Shiba carefully unloads the crossbow in his hands and moves to look at the corpse. "Is this the missing man, do you think?" Shiba takes careful note of the rate of decay to see how long it may have been dead.
Not entirely sure what to use here, so I'll list all of the options I guess?
Gonna go with your Heal here.
The man appears to have been dead for no more than a day or two. More interestingly, however, is that aside from the wounds caused by bites, presumably from the alligator, he also shows wounds around the neck, as though he might have been strangled.
Male Chaotic Good Half-Orc Skald 1 | HP: 9/9 | AC: 15 (11 Tch, 14 Fl) | CMB: +2, CMD: 13 | F: +3, R: +1, W: +2; +1 vs Mind Affecting effects | Init: +1 | Perc: +4 | Speed 20ft | Spells 1st 0/2 | Active conditions: None.
"It seems like someone beat us here, but not by much. Sadly with less noble intentions.. What do you guys think? Coincidence or was someone here for the same reason we are?"
While essentially thinking out loud Zacarias walks to the edge of the dock and looks out over the water.
Kal drops her guard for a moment until she notices the injuries on the corpse's neck. Nervously, she raises one hand and beckons her raven back to perch on her wrist, whilst she gestures with the other, letting it shine a faint blue light that slowly dissipates in the air, seeking sources of sorcery. Meanwhile, her familiar's head darts back and forth, eyes glinting in the low light, suspicion painted all over his expressionless face.
You all take a deep breath and look around. Though human eyes betray little of use, Kal's magic lights up two places of interest: the boots on the body and the base of the statue in the water.
As you all take a moment to take in the current situation, however, suddenly a shrill scream is heard, and a creature, a muscular humanoid with a crow's head, dashes in from the passage to the west, clearly with murderous intent!
It hits! However, in response to the arrow shooting into its chest, the beast lets out another screech and suddenly leaps into action to attack its would-be-sniper!
Acrobatics:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
This leap into action is literal, as suddenly the beast jumps towards Kal, landing right beside her and attacking her with his claws.
Shiba skirts around the conflict, moving to flank Kal while keeping out of the crow-headed creature's reach. His hands glow with a holy light as he reaches out to provide solace and care.
Healing Hex:1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
As the healing power in his hands pours into the sorceress, the witch looks over the creature with a discerning eye. What is it? Something wild, or something... unnatural?
This creature is known as a dire corby, a usually subterranean birdlike beast, highly aggressive. Although they are known to understand and language among themselves, they are savage creatures that do not partake in any society, and even groups of corbies are subject to aggressive, squabbling pecking orders and frequent infighting.
Joachim and Zac both try to hit the beast, but the force of their blows is stopped by the creature's formidable body. The witch's healing hex works its magic properly, however.
Kal nods her thanks at Shiba, rolling the pain from her shoulders. Her raven lands back on her shoulder, and she points her right hand at the beast, letting it glow a furious indigo before sending a magic missile streaking towards her foe.
Damage:1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
She also scurries back, bow still in hand, as she watches the spell burst against the monster's flesh.
The beast screeches in response to the magic missile attack and starts tearing into the nearest person blocking its path towards Kal, the source of all its pain so far: Joachim.
"It's a dire corby... but what is it doing this close to the surface? Or..." Shiba thinks about it for a moment. "This is very strange. To make it's territory in what should be a safe house that Laria mentioned; has it been abandoned so long? Or did something push the dire corby out of its normal habitat?"
He shakes his head and loads his crossbow. "As much as I don't like this, it has brought violence to the table."
Kal takes a few more steps back as she sees the Dire Corby raging towards her, hastily nocking an arrow and loosing it at the rampaging beast.
Attack:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Damage:1d8 ⇒ 2
She stumbles on a loose stone as she looses the shot, tripping and sending the arrow bouncing off the ceiling as she and her raven scream an obscenity in unison.
Joachim shoots a stern look at the creature's toned body and drops his mace to the floor. In it's place, he pulls out a dagger and lunges forward, slashing at his opponent.
Although not every hit is a winner, the combined forces of the party dealing blow after blow eventually tires the beast out for long enough for Zac to deal a devastating finishing blow. The beast falls to the floor motionless.
COMBAT OVER!
Peace returns to the Wasp's Nest, for now. What's next?
"Strange... and unfortunately, the violence was needed." Shiba holsters the crossbow and moves to inspect the body.
Heal:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22
Shiba is trying to figure out if there was anything afflicting the dire corby, like rabies, that would have it so far out of its normal habitat. Also he'd like to try and recover his crossbow bolts if that's possible?
Joachim looks around at the strange beast and the surrounding cavern, looking for anything else out of the ordinary or some hint as to how the beast got in there.
The gang moves into the chamber that the beast came out from. What they find is a spaceous room that seems to have been used as one of the Bellflower Network's lodgings for their escapees. A few bunk beds, two walled off latrines and some other furniture both befitting human-sized and halfling-sized people. A lot of it has been destroyed, however, possibly due to the beast you've just fought.
After a search, neither Joachim nor Zacarias spot anything out of the ordinary: no tunnels or the likes, nothing that could've brought the corby here somehow.
Male Chaotic Good Half-Orc Skald 1 | HP: 9/9 | AC: 15 (11 Tch, 14 Fl) | CMB: +2, CMD: 13 | F: +3, R: +1, W: +2; +1 vs Mind Affecting effects | Init: +1 | Perc: +4 | Speed 20ft | Spells 1st 0/2 | Active conditions: None.
Zacarias shrugs at the apparent lack of any solid clues as to what happened here. He turns around and starts moving towards the room to the south. There has to be something around here.
Zacarias enters the south passage which opens up into the final room of the Wasp's Nest. The alligator manages to wring free from the rope, but he sheepishly vanishes back into the water, leaving you alone.
Stacks of unopened crates—some draped in moldering tarps—fill most of the space, creating a maze. Two tables sit in the center, scattered with playing cards and a smoking, unlit lantern, and one of them is occupied by four beasts. Crowlike, like the dire corby you faced, but different: wearing clothes and being smaller in stature, like a human teenager. Upon your entering, they stare at you motionless, clearly expecting you; perhaps they'd heard you fighting the corby.
Then, one brandishes a kukri, and the others follow suit, grabbing their daggers. The kukri-wielder, the leader, cautiously approaches you and says: "You're from upstairs. You killed Chough. The jig is up, I guess."
The yellow spirit above Joachims shoulder shoots them a dissaproving look.
"Hell of a party you have going on in here. I suggest you tell us what happened to the man that was working here, if you don't want to end up like your feathery friend back there." Saying this, he reaches towards his daggers.
Their leader scoffs at you. "Tch. You kill our sister and you expect us to give you a history lesson?"
She lets out a birdlike "SKREEE", and you're unsure whether it's a shout of rage or amusement.
The other ones, however, are less defensive, and appear frightened.
"Korva, please. Sirs, please. It was an accident, Chough has... had issues. Violent issues. And the man, he was going to leave us, and we got mad, and..." "Maggie, quiet!" One of the others reprimands.
"No, Jay! This man looks strong, and either way, I don't want any more corpses!"
The one called Maggie starts crying after she says this, and the leader glances at her with concern before looking back at you, more intensely than ever.
"Lay a finger on them and I'll gut you like a fish."
"He was going to leave you, and then...?" Shiba asks quietly. "As far as we were aware, there was only supposed to be a single human man down here, or having access to here. Perhaps you can tell us what happened, and how you came to be here."
Their leader pauses and sighs.
"Me and my sisters come from Riddleport. We are hunted there, but the man promised to smuggle us into Cheliax, to Westcrown. We were hidden among his goods. However, once we got here, the man betrayed us. Said he couldn't help us anymore, nonsense about politics."
"My hands are tied! My hands are tied!" shout the other sisters, perfectly mimicking a male voice.
"That's what he'd say, telling us he'd get us out to Westcrown soon, until finally he came to us and told us he had no options and we were on our own."
The leader somberly looks to the floor. "We... lost our patience, and attacked him." She looks up, desperation in her eyes. "But we never wanted to kill him! It was Chough! Chough was... unstable. She was our sister, we adopted her... but she wasn't like us. She was dangerous. Truth be told, we agreed on putting her down ourselves as well. You just kinda... beat me to it. I... just hadn't gathered the courage yet."
Shiba sighs quietly and folds his hands into his sleeves.
"I see. I'm sorry it came to this, then. The political situation is grim, however; he was not lying about that. The man who has effectively taken over the city has placed it under incredibly close watch for anyone who could... suborn him, or supplant him. Anyone with a smuggler's connection, for example." The human appearing man's voice is soft and his intonation carefully neutral. "Law has become corrupt in this area, and I will not see you stand trial for this."
He looks between each of them, then the moldering tarps, and unopened crates. He looks to his allies.
"I would not see them dead if we can avoid it. Nan is dead, and that cannot change. Chough is also dead. I fear that Barzillai would execute anyone at this point, after the riot."
Diplomacy:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
Sense Motive:1d20 ⇒ 14
"What is your ideal outcome?" He asks the crow-like beings. "Technically, you are in Cheliax in the port city of Kintargo. Getting to Westcrown may be difficult or impossible from this position, due to the martial law. Knowing this, what would you want to do?"
The sisters huddle together real quick for a while, then their leader turns to you and says the following.
"Well, the man was going to help us find a place in Westcrown. He is dead now, so we have nothing." She turns to her sisters. They nod. "We... are thieves. Always have been. I am unsure if we would find legal work in Westcrown. At this point, the where doesn't really matter. We are far away from those hunting us in Varisia. We just want a place to call home."
Male Chaotic Good Half-Orc Skald 1 | HP: 9/9 | AC: 15 (11 Tch, 14 Fl) | CMB: +2, CMD: 13 | F: +3, R: +1, W: +2; +1 vs Mind Affecting effects | Init: +1 | Perc: +4 | Speed 20ft | Spells 1st 0/2 | Active conditions: None.
Zacarias sheathes his warhammer and huddles with the rest of the group, not unlike the siblings.
"What happened here was... horrible. But considering the state of Chough I don't think we can pin the entire affair on these people. I believe the least we can do is let them hide out and keep them fed but I think they, anyone for that matter, deserve a better place to live than an abandoned warehouse with a crocodile in it."
